Hannah Bronfman and Her Trainer Have 3 His and Hers Workouts for You (Just in Time for V Day!)

Gym date, anyone?

This week, our special guest health and fitness contributor, Hannah Bronfman enlisted Stephen Cheuk of New York City personal training studio, S10—that go-to trainer of hers she raves about—to share a few fun workouts that you can do with your partner. "I believe the couples that sweat together, stay together!" says Cheuk. "Partner workouts offer that extra motivation to get into the gym, and allow you to improve your fitness abilities together to not only get stronger physically but mentally as well."

Whether you've got plans to spend Valentine's Day with your significant other (or a friend!), or predict that you'll want to burn some calories after your dinner date and all that chocolate you've allowed yourself to indulge in for the special occasion, Hannah and Cheuk recommend you give these ercises a try ASAP. "These moves are all fun, advanced versions of well-known ercises like pushups and deadlifts, so I would recommend mastering the basics before trying to attempt them." Safety first!

**Workout #1: Pushup-Planks

Starting Position:** "The bottom partner's postioning depends on the level of shape they are in," says Cheuk. If you're at a lower level, Cheuk advises that you start with a wider stance with your hands and feet to give you more support for the pushup. "The top partner's hands should be on the bottom partner's Achilles heels and feet should be on their shoulders." If you're much shorter than the partner doing the actual pushup, Cheuk says it's OK if your feet sit on your partner's shoulder blades.

The Pushup: Depending on which muscles you're looking to target, there are a few pushup variations you can try. "Doing your pushups with your elbows pointing inward, works more on your triceps, while keeping your elbows facing outward strenghtens your chest," says Cheuk. The partner who will be planking on top, should focus on their alignment with their core engaged and glutes squeezed tight.

The Reps: Cheuk recommends doing one set of 10 reps. "Give yourself a four-second count down on the push down, pause for one second at the bottom, and hold the plank for one second at the top," instructs Cheuk. This will give your muscles even more of a challenge than a traditional pushup—in addition to the human weight that you're lifting! "Then move on to the next ercises for a five-round circuit workout."

The Pay-off: "This ercise is a fun partner progression of one of the most popular ercises around: the pushup!" says Cheuk. "It works your chest, triceps, and abs."

**Workout #2: Dead Lifts

Starting Position:** "The person lifting should start with their spine in a neutral position and hips hinged," says Cheuk. "The person being lifted should keep their body in a fid, straight postion with their arms and legs crossed." Warning! Cheuk cautions that this is an advanced spin on the regular stiff-legged deadlift, so if you haven't performed that ercise with expertise, skip this workout and move on to the next.

The Reps: Five sets of 10 reps as part of the full circuit.

The Pay-off: "The person doing the deadlift is getting a very compound full-body ercise working their grip, arms, back, hamstrings and core," says Cheuk. But the benefits aren't one-sided! "The person getting held is working their core and full-body as well as they have the task of holding their body in a completely straight position."

**Workout #3: The Partner Prowler Push

Starting Position:** "The person sitting should sit in the center of the prowler with their feet on the middle bar to keep the equipment as centered as possible, while the person pushing should have perfect alignment with their elbows locked and back straight," says Cheuk.

The Push: "All the person seated needs to do is add a fun element to a grueling ercise," says Cheuk. "They also obviously add a decent amount of weight to the prowler too. The person pushing should focus on their alignment and drive their strength from their toes to push. Imagine yourself pushing a car."

**The Reps: **One push across the floor for each partner then move on to the next ercise.

The Pay-off: "The Prowler Push increases your VO2 max, which is amazing for fat loss and improvoing cardio vascular output," says Cheuk. "It also works your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core. The person sitting won't get much of a workout but thats why you should switch." Bonus! The lower the partner pushing places their hands on the prowler, the harder the workout.

Give these workouts a try and tell us how you and your partner feel once you've had a chance to cool-down!